Self Expression Joins Fiction to Poetry

What a joy self-expression is. Whether writing fiction, poetry, or non-fiction the way the author presents the material, the choice of what is said, even what is left unsaid are indicative of the writer’s personality and experience.


As a child I was delighted when my father made up little ditties or spoke in verse. I never considered how they impacted me until I wrote a poem a day to sharpen my skills of observation and description. Later, I entered the La Porte County Poet Laureate Contest and performed in Arts in the Park for several years.



While studying the gospels, I imagined the motivations and conflicts of the individuals and framed fictionalized poems to express them. “Journey to Christmas” was followed by newly released, “Ten Days to an Empty Tomb” which is the good news of Easter told in story-poems. These contemporary poems explore thoughts and emotions of those encountering the days leading to the Passover, crucifixion, and resurrection. Human nature, reasoning, and choices are revealed provoking thoughtful meditation for those wanting to draw closer to Christ or simply share the story in a new way.

Here are three excerpts. Can you guess the character viewpoint?

These fools will serve this King of Plenty
as Servant Leaders and Ransoms for Many
as for me—there’ll be money and goods to disperse;
I’ll be Minister of Interior, Treasurer of Purse.


I wish I’d been cast from Temple
defrocked and shunned by Jews
for then I’d be pure in heart
with no regrets for what I’ve withheld from You.


Does the earth quake for a human?
Will lightning and thunder toll?
Does the sky split with the world’s weight
while gambling dice are rolled?



This is a FREE DOWNLOAD TODAY, SUNDAY, AND MONDAY, MARY 9, 10, 11.  If you do not have a Kindle Reader, that is a free download too. I hope you will follow the link, download a copy, and share the link with your friends. Perhaps you would even write a review on Amazon or comment on blogs about it. I value your feedback.

http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Days-Empty-Tomb-ebook/dp/B00BQN29TA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362835269&sr=1-1&keywords=Ten+Days+to+an+Empty+tomb

 Mary Allen writes from NW Indiana and prays that this Easter be one of deeper joy and greater commitment to our Risen Lord. Many blessings IN ACFW friends.

Easter J

Today we commemorate the unthinkable.

^{The Ancient of Days, Who put on human flesh and Whose flesh was torn beyond recognition, rose to all new life. The Life His followers considered utterly lost to death on Friday afternoon conquered death Sunday morning. These things you know.} 


But perhaps today, as writer, you may ponder Easter anew. Easter is the ultimate plot twist. Consider the plot line of human history.

^{Act 1. In love, God creates a world teeming with life. He commissions a man and a woman to fill and subdue His creation. For a time the man and woman are delighted, but in time they doubt God, believe Satan and cross God. In a moment, all creation falls.}

^{Act 2. For generations men and women grope to satisfy their craving souls. Some abate their hunger by placing faith and hope in God. Most do not. The massive divide between God and man continues.}

^{Act 3. In time Jesus comes to show men and women His Father. Some believe. Most do not. Tension escalates to the climax of crucifixion. To those who witness it, the story is finished. An iron door has clapped. The crucifixion represents an unmistakable tragedy to His followers, the ultimate victory to His enemies.}

^{Easter ushered in a eucatastrophe. J.R.R. Tolkien coined the term, adding the Greek eu, “good” to catastrophe, “catastrophe.”  By eucatastrophe the story line is overthrown. Sure doom crumbles under the weight of exquisite, unimagined delight.}

^{In his lectures on Ruth, Doug Green of Westminster Seminary goes a step further. In the gospel story a new literary genre is introduced. Were the reader to plot the major events of the protagonist’s life and connect the dots, a clear J would emerge.  From the inciting event there is a downward trend to the climactic low point of catastrophe. But at the catastrophe there is a dramatic change of course. Out of calamity—pain, loss, death—major events shoot upward. The resulting new life is far better than if the calamity had not occurred.}

^{Of course the genre echoes in stories that unfolded before the Gospel. Consider Ruth, heroine of Ruth. Out of widowhood and relinquishment of her identity she became an ancestress to the Messiah. Consider Joseph of Genesis. Out of betrayal and slavery he rose to prince of Egypt and rescuer from regional, if not worldwide, famine. Consider Lazarus, beloved friend of Jesus. Out of illness, seeming betrayal and death he was called to a second life, living proof that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.}

^{And there ought to be echoes ahead. What events in your life draw a distinct J over your life? And how will the J curve transform your fiction? Ponder anew.}

Biblical and Historical Fiction

Lenten Greetings and Blessings!

When you read this, I'll be on my way home from a week's vacation in Paris and London, a trip sponsored by my husband's company. And Dave and I will have "done" the Chunnel for our first time, plus much more. Will you see some of our trip in my WIP? Of course. . .

We'll have "done" the Louvre for our second time. This time, I'll have focused on the Louvre's Last Supper paintings, which may be titled something else (according to my research). Why those paintings? For a decade now, I've been writing the memoir-like stories of men, women and children disciples who were likely at Jesus' last Passover Seder family meal, likely held in the hall of a wealthy home that could hold more than 200 people.

I've been interested in Jesus' followers, especially the "girls"/women and children, ever since I was a young girl myself growing up in China with my missionary parents and grandparents. You can read more about that in my book, Women of the Last Supper: We Were There Too.

The stories of Jesus' disciples that I've written have been portrayed nearly every year for a decade in "my" church. (See the photo above for this year's disciples, missing several.) First I wrote the twelve men's stories, then twelve women's stories, and now I'm writing six children's stories. This year my new story is "Anne," Jesus' younger sister who is mentioned in the Gospels, although not named like their four brothers are (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3).

I share "Anne's" story with you today, and trust it will help prepare your heart for the glory of Easter. Are my viewpoints controversial? You bet! But they are extensively researched, both Biblically and historically. And I feel called by God to share this perspective whenever possible.

A BLESSED SISTER: “ANNE”

I am Jesus’ younger sister, “Anne.”I was named for our maternal grandmother, whose name is known from Christian tradition. My sister and I and our four other brothers, James, Joses, Judas and Simon, are mentioned several times in the New Testament, but most people don’t know much about us.

As you might guess, my siblings and I dearly loved our wonderful oldest brother, Jesus. Although my brothers waited until after Jesus’ ascension to heaven to become his disciples, my sister and I eagerly became two of his first followers, along with our beloved Mother Mary. So, of course, we were there for Jesus’ last Passover, that special meal that would become known as the Last Supper and commemorated for two thousand years by Christians, like you.

My Mother Mary and her sister Salome, my aunt, were blessed sisters because of how they were related to Jesus. But I, too, was a blessed sister, because I was one of Jesus’ younger sisters.

It was so awesome to grow up with him as my older brother. Perhaps you have heard that some Biblical scholars think my siblings and I were really Jesus’ cousins or Joseph’s children by another wife. But if that were so, why didn’t the Gospels call us his cousins, or tell about Joseph’s other wife? And why were my brothers repeatedly named in the New Testament and called Jesus’ brothers, even by the townspeople of Nazareth? Thankfully, many theologians affirm we were his siblings, Mary's other children. And I’m eager to share with you just a bit what it was like to be Jesus’ sister.

Do you have a brother who can fix anything? My brother Jesus could. He could even fix things and animals and people that nobody else could. How do you suppose our Mother Mary knew he could turn water into wine for that wedding feast in Cana? We, his family, had already experienced many times his special powers from Yahweh. He could perform miracles like the prophets in our Torah. But he always told us not to tell anyone.

When I was little, in the evenings Jesus used to lift me to his lap and tell me stories about how much Yahweh loved me. Of course, other children and teenagers gathered around us as we sat on the stone bench in the cool shade of the olive trees behind our home. Sometimes he carved little toys for us from scraps of wood from our family’s shop.

I’m sure you know we Jews loved to sing and dance, and my brother Jesus was no exception. He had a beautiful voice, and a special way of clapping his hands and tapping his feet. He and our other brothers often sang Psalms together in harmony. My other brothers sometimes forgot the words, but Jesus never did. He was the one who led the singing during our Passover Seder celebrations each year. Our relatives and friends used to say Jesus had the most melodious voice they’d ever heard. They said he sang like an angel. They were right! When I close my eyes, I can still hear him singing my favorite song, Psalm 23.

I was one of those who watched Jesus ascend to heaven a short while after his cruel crucifixion and resurrection. Watching him disappear into the clouds was a glorious and exciting ending to his time here on earth.

Yes, I was an ordinary sister transformed by my extraordinary brother. You, too, can experience this transformation, and live or die for the glory of God.

Easter Joys and Blessings, Millie Samuelson :-)